Queen's Gambit Accepted
by ThisSunday
Summary: A cannon is being auctioned off at the wealthiest planet in the galaxy. Harlock takes Kei and Tadashi Monono to buy it before it's too late. Unbeknownst to those who search for Arcadia, the person selling the cannon has some plans of his own... SSX verse. An idea I've been kicking around lately and finally got into text. No pairings, just good ol' Harlock-style mindgames.


**Fun fact: the working title of this fic was "Harlock Participates in Capitalism"**

**Also: Writing out fanfic ideas is a good way to stave off writer's block**

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><p>Alluida was one of the few planets that, despite the horrors of the Illumidas invasion, maintained its prosperity and affluence. The collective wealth of the Alluidans was secured through the planet's famous banks and stockbrokers, who took care of Illumidas finances. It was often whispered that these financiers were the only humans to ever be respected by the invaders. With this in mind, it was no coincidence that this planet yearly held the largest auction in the galaxy, attended by humans and Illumidas alike.<p>

Normally, this event was used as propaganda to show the two species "bonding" over material goods. However, no matter how much the auction was romanticized by the media, prejudice was just as common, albeit in a more passive-aggressive manner. The well-to-do of either species used the auction house as a battle ground for superiority, the superiority in question expressed in how many rare paintings one could waste their disposable income on.

On a purely moral basis, a certain famed outlaw would have as little to do with Alluida as possible, but this year's auction seemed to be an exception to his rigid principles...

Said outlaw could now be found pacing back and forth on the bridge of his equally famed ship, the Arcadia.

"Harlock," asked his best friend and confidante, Tochiro. "You're going to have to make a decision on this pretty quick, or else we're not gonna make it in time."

Harlock continued pacing. "I know that."

From the opposite end of the room, yet two more crewmembers looked on at their captain. Kei, who was partially hiding herself behind the doorframe, had a much better understanding of the situation than the boy standing beside her.

"Miss Kei, can I ask a question?"

It was the voice of Tadashi Monono. Broken from her trance of concern, Kei turned to her younger crewmate.

"Huh? Of course, Tadashi, what is it?"

"The captain and Mister Tochiro have been like this for a while. I don't know, but...they seem too wrapped up in whatever's going on for them to answer any of my questions. You'll tell me what's happening, right?"

The worry in his eyes matched Kei's own. She sighed.

"Hm, well, it's like this...you know about the Alluidan Auction, yes?"

Tadashi nodded.

"There's a collector that's going to be there this year, and he's going to be auctioning off something that the captain wants." Kei tried to word her explanation as carefully as possible so that the boy would understand.

"So what is it?"

Kei's eyes drifted to the floor. "Um...it's, ah..." Should she tell him...?

"It's a cannon."

The two looked up to see that it was their captain who had answered.

"Captain!" exclaimed Tadashi. "What kind of cannon?! Are you going to use it to wipe out the Illumidas?!"

"No," Harlock said with a laugh. "It's not nearly powerful enough for destruction of that scale."

The boy was just a little disappointed. "Aw. Can I help you steal it?"

"It's too big to steal. We'd never be able to get it off the planet with the equipment we have now. That's why Harlock's still indecisive about it." At this point, Tochiro entered the conversation at the door.

"We're not stealing it? Then, you mean-"

Harlock frowned. "We'll have to enter the auction and buy it ourselves."

Tadashi thought for a moment. "Like an undercover mission? Wait, where would we even get the money to pay for-" A realization hit him. "Captain! You have to let me come!"

"And why is that?" Harlock asked with a wry smile.

"So I can help fight th-"

"Ah, I get it," Tochiro cut in. "If you go with a kid, Harlock, you'll be less suspicious. It'll look like some rich family's outing, and not a pirate going to buy some dangerous weapon. Let's see though, you'd need a wife to complete the picture..." He turned to Kei.

"You're not serious." Kei said, doubtful of the success of such a plan. "But still...Captain, what do you think?"

Harlock considered for a moment. "Tochiro has a point. By disguising ourselves as a wealthy family, we're less likely to be caught."

"Okay, then it's settled," said Tochiro, clapping his hands together. "Are we setting a course for Alluida, Captain?"

"Very well. If I can get my hands on that cannon, then anything will be worth it."

Harlock, with a flourish of his long, black cape, took his place at the wheel.

Time passed, and a small ship painted pure white had docked in the planet Alluida's capital city. The auction house was not far from the port, only a short walk for the three disguised pirates that had disembarked only moments before.

Harlock looked significantly younger with his hair pulled back and his scar covered in a thick layer of makeup. There was not much to be done about the eyepatch, and so the best Harlock could do for it was to brush his bangs over his missing eye and pray a gust of wind would not expose the empty socket underneath.

Kei and Tadashi were not too well known among the Illumidas and had only to change their clothes to conceal their true identities.

Walking down the street, the three looked and played the part of a rich family to a T.

"Careful, you'll dirty your new clothes if you walk too close to the curb." chided Kei, adjusting a pair of ill-fitting glasses on the bridge of her nose.

Tadashi grimaced. The situation seemed off-putting to him. "Miss Kei, you don't have to act like you're _really_ my mom, it's not like anyone's eavesdropping on us."

"Watch your mouth, young man," said Harlock. "You listen to your mother, understand?"

The boy groaned and kicked the sidewalk in frustration. "You two are having way too much fun."

"Ah-ah! You're going to scuff your shoes!" Kei scolded, smiling broadly.

Saying nothing, Tadashi glared his crewmate.

"That's enough teasing for now," said Harlock. "We're coming up on the auction house."

It was a grand, imposing building, constructed well before the Illumidas even planned to invade, and had stood the test of time like an ancient Greek monument. Like the Greeks, it had many columns, both supporting the structure and adding to the building's aesthetic appeal. The trio climbed the marble steps and looked in awe of these columns, tall and magnificent. Tadashi especially was entranced by the auction house's beauty, almost bumping into a bearded Illumidas man.

"Sorry, I wasn't looking where I was-" Before he could finish, Tadashi realized who he was talking to. He froze under the disdainful gaze of the Illumidas.

The stranger addressed Harlock and Kei with a pretentious air. "Teach your boy proper behavior. Children, no matter what their species, should not be running around goggle-eyed without a care for their surroundings."

"I apologize. We should have kept a better eye on him." Harlock quickly responded.

"Hm," The Illumidas turned to Tadashi. "Boy. Learn to be more like your father. At least someone in your family knows how to act in public."

With that, the man left in a huff, disappearing inside the auction house.

Tadashi stared at his captain. "I'm so sorry, I didn't realize that he was an Illumidas."

"Just be more careful." Harlock's eye shone with anger in the direction of the man who had just left their company.

Kei's brow was covered in a fresh sheet of sweat. She turned to Harlock, then to the columns of the building ahead.

"It'd kill me to be even a little subservient to them," she said. "If my father were here, he would have spit in that man's face."

The tension in his eye fading, Harlock smiled at Kei. "I suppose I have a bit more restraint than your father."

Smiling hazily back at her captain, and then at Tadashi, Kei murmured, "We'll all need to have that kind of restraint if we want to get through this in one piece."

"By the way," added Harlock. "That was him."

"Him who?" wondered Tadashi, still shaken up from the encounter.

"The man who's putting up the cannon for auction," the captain continued. "This won't be last of him we'll be seeing."

Tadashi tightened his hands into fists, digging his nails into his palms nearly hard enough to break skin.

"What's his name." Tadashi's question sounded more like a demand than anything else.

There was a moment of hesitation before Kei answered. "His name is Northen Jall. He's a collector known for his eccentricity."

"If we meet him face to face again," instructed Harlock. "Be _very_ careful. He is incredibly clever, not to mention resourceful. If you cross him, then you put us in a very dangerous situation."

Tadashi nodded. His eyes were still staring straight ahead, unfocused.

The three continued on up the steps, entering the building's main hall. The interior was just as impressive as the outside, painted blue and gold, with massive crimson drapes lining the walls.

The captain, straightening his coat, led Tadashi and Kei to a booth near the entrance.

"Here to register for the auction?" asked a woman seated behind the table.

"Yes," said Harlock. "I made a reservation for seats L10, L11, and L12 under 'Holberg'."

The woman flipped through a ledger. "Ah, yes. Holberg. Here we are." She passed them three paddles inscribed with the number 82.

"Row L is near the middle, 10 through 12 are closest to the left side, walking in. Enjoy yourselves!" The woman smiled and turned her attention to the next group in line.

Following Harlock's lead, Kei and Tadashi kept a close eye on the other auction participants. Two Illumidas crowded around a human woman, who batted her eyes at them. A steward had a package slapped from his hands by one of the organizers. A family talked and laughed while waiting for the proceedings of the auction. There was activity in every corner of the room. It was hard to tell where to look, and what to look for. Sounds and faces mingled, bombarded the youngest of the group.

"Tadashi." Harlock's whisper, calm and quiet, broke the three's silence.

The child looked up. His captain looked so much different with the disguise, yet he took comfort in that same eye that looked had always looked at him with kindness.

Harlock, on the other hand, remained uneasy. "You're not overwhelmed, are you? If you're not feeling well, you can always go back to the ship."

"No, I'll keep going," said Tadashi. Through his voice's shaking, his words were firm. "I said I'd come with you, and I'll see this through to the end."

The boy's captain smiled. "Just tell me if anything bothers you, alright?"

"Mmhm."

At the end of the hall was a stage. Before it was a sea of chairs. Some were occupied by the bidders, on others, coats and paddles rested. A blonde human woman leaned against the first chair in row L.

"Is she an usher?" asked Kei in a low voice.

"No," replied Harlock. "Her dress may look cheap, but it's actually made from an expensive fabric from the Illumidas homeworld. She's one of the bidders."

Kei studied the woman. "Scouting out the competition, I guess?"

The woman noticed the group's approach. She threw out her arms and grinned. Her mouth was the only part of her that did not breathe callousness. The way she carried herself and looked upon Harlock and his crew spoke of deep loathing, despite never having met before. However, it became obvious that this was not because she recognized them as pirates. The woman appeared to hold a general distaste for others, perhaps amplified by the auction's atmosphere of competition.

"Oh, my! I've never seen _you_ around here before!" she exclaimed. "Is this our first time?" She kept up her plastic grin as she spoke.

"Yes, it is," Harlock extended a hand to the blonde. "One can't vacation in Alluida without participating in the auction."

The woman accepted Harlock's greeting. "Of course. And your name...?"

"Holberg. Vincent Holberg, and my family." He gestured to Kei and Tadashi with his free hand. "Katrina, my wife, and my son, Alan."

Kei addressed the woman with a curt "How do you do?" and glanced back to Harlock, eyebrow raised.

In response to Kei's questioning gaze, Harlock mouthed the words "Just play along."

Placing her faith in the captain's plan was necessary, Kei thought. She straightened her posture, making herself appear taller, more confidant.

Meanwhile, Tadashi was seething. There was something about the woman that sent him into a rage. She hadn't really done anything, but Tadashi's alarm bells were ringing like mad. Seeing that his ship's cook was uncomfortable, Harlock placed his hand on the quaking shoulder below him. Tadashi was momentarily startled, but seeing his captain's face with a look that said "Everything will be okay" reminded him to be calm. He stared looked forward, not seeing the strange rich woman.

"Well, Mr. Holberg," said the woman's course voice. "What items do you have your eyes on today?"

Harlock shrugged. "The items being auctioned off by that Mr. Northen Jall have piqued my curiosity."

"Jall, you say?" The blonde laughed. "Why, he's my husband!"

The one visible eye on Harlock's face narrowed ever so slightly. "You don't say..."

"Yes! Well, you must have heard about what he's selling, so are you after the cannon? He tells me it was designed by Tochiro Oyama, the outlaw who built that Harlock fellow's ship."

"Yes, I've heard."

"My husband also says that while it's indeed a cannon, it doesn't fire normal ammunition. You won't hear this next part in the auction catalog, so listen close, Mr. Holberg."

Harlock and Mrs. Jall leaned in close to each other.

Mrs. Jall continued: "It's actually a weapon that disables electrical signals. Quite powerful, don't you think? Of course, at this point, it's merely a collector's item, but if one can get it back in running condition...it'd be quite dangerous."

"I see. Thank you, Mrs. Jall. I'll definitely be keeping my eyes peeled for it, now."

The collector's wife smile was even deeper than before. It had even spread to her eyes, replacing their former coldness with a look of satisfaction. "I'm glad," she said.

A gong rang out five times, quieting all conversation. It was followed by the announcement that the auction would begin shortly. The "Holburgs" and Mrs. Jall bid their farewells and hurried to their seats.

The auctioneer was a slim Illumidas woman in a pantsuit with a military-style jacket. One could assume that she was a government employee. She spoke in a voice that sounded like the pealing of bells.

"Welcome one, welcome all, to our fair planet's annual auction! I'm pleased to be your auction master for today- you may call me Fergus. Now then, I know what you kind people are here for, so let's not waste any time. Oh, but before we start with our first item, please be reminded to keep any rowdiness to a minimum, as the proceedings _will_ be televised across the entire system! That's right, for the first time in the history of the event, the Alluidan auction will be broadcasted wherever a signal can be picked up! Now: Our first item of the day is..."

Tadashi had stopped listening. He tightened up, looking to Harlock for any semblance of reassurance. "Captain..."

Harlock shushed him. Though the pirate looked as collected as always, sweat had begun to bead at his temples.

What should have been mental fortitude was overtaken by worry in the three's minds.

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><p><strong>Sorry if this chapter read a little bit awkwardly or anything : **

**In the next chapter, the really intense stuff starts...haha, if i can manage to write the next chapter..**

**Feel free to leave any criticism! Thank you.**


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